Collapsible boat



'May 10, 1932- A. CANTZLER COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Filed Feb. 25', 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet w mw 1.2. UwzZz'Ze/ I Moi/"e310.

May 10, 1932. A. CANTZLER COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Filed Feb. 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet gwua/wto a May 10, 1932- A. CANTZLER COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Filed Feb. 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mm /i. CamZzZer Patented May 10, 1932 mmio ce ALFRED CANTZLER, OF KENOBA,ONT.A .RIO, CANADA COLLAPSIIBLE BOAT Application filed. February 25, 1931. Serial No. 518,210.

This invention relates to collapsible boats, one of the objects being to :provide a boat capable of holding several persons and capable of being collapsed toform a compact .3 bundle which can be carried by a person or can be stored conveniently on or in a motor vehicle. i

A further object is to provide a. boatthe frame and the floor members of which are formed of light stripsof wood or other suitable material having the desired rigidity, it being possible readily to set up the members of the frame and floor when it is desiredto use the structure. e

A still further object is to provide a boat utilizing a tightly woven fabric as a means for excluding water, the said fabric being held taut in a simple and efficient manner.

Another object isto provide a collapsible boat which can be set up for use without requiring the employment of tools of any kind.

With the forgoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi- 5 nation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of the invention has been shown. In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View showing the boat set up for use.

Figure 2 is a similar View with the fabric removed.

- Figure 3 is a section on line 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4. is an enlarged section on line 44=, Figure 1. i

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5,

Figure 1, the seat-supporting frame being broken away and remote parts being removed. Figure 6 is a perspective view ofportions of the members of one of the gunnels showing coupling sleeves used therewith.

Referring to the figuresby characters of reference, 1 and 2 designate separate members hingedly connected at 3 to form a central floor board and at each side of this central floor board is a side floor board made up of members 4 and 5 hingedly connected at 6. Along the bottom of the central floor board is secured a keel formed of separate r15 timbers 7 which abut when the timbers are in alinement.

The floor boards are provided, adjacent to their rear ends, with cross cleats 8 andadditional cross cleats 9 are secured on the floor .60 boardsat points between their ends. The keel 7 projects forwardly beyond the cen tral floor board and hingedly connected there to at .10 is a stem 11 of the-boat which, when in upstanding position, bears downwardly on the keel as shown in Figure 8. Detachably mounted on' each of the cleats 9 is the bottom strip 12 of a crossframe. In addition to the bottom strip the cross frame includes top strips 13 and upwardly diverging posts or ribs 1 1 secured to the strips 12and13. The bottom strips 12 are adapted to be fastened detachably on the cleats 9 by means of ropes 15 or the like lashed therearound and through eye bolts 16 extending from the cleats9. V

The. upper ends of the posts or ribs 14 extend into loops 17 which can be formed of fabric strips secured to the inner sides of the gunnel l8.' As shown particularly in Figure 6 each gunnel includes strips 19 and 20 adapted to be placed end to end and be slidably engaged by a coupling sleeve 21 which is secured to aslide 22. This slide is in the form of an elongated bar of wood or the like adapted to move alongthe inner sides of the strips ,19and 20 so as to slide sleeve 21 onto or off one ofthe gunnel strips or members. Vhen the sleeve is in engagement with both of these gunnel strips, the said stri s will be heldfproperly assembled side by sic e when theboat is collapsed. Each bottom side strip of the boat isconstructed' similarly to each of the gunnelsand consists of separate members 23 and 24 adapted to beheld end to end by a coupling sleeve 25 carried by a slidable bar 26. 1 I

The. transom 27 can consist of a frame 28 closed by a panel 29 of-light wood 'or'the like. The ends of the gunnels and bottom on the transom.

' strips 13.

side strips bear against the sides of stem 11 and the transom 27 and are detachably held thereto by means of hooks 30 engaging eyes 31. V 7

Hook bolts 32 are secured to the bottom side strips at intervalsthroughout the lengths thereof and are provided for the purpose of receiving a rope 33 which is threaded back and forth through these hook bolts and through eyes 34 formed in the edge portion of a tightly woven fabric 35 which is so shaped as to fit snugly on the frame of the bolt. One length of rope is used for this purpose and after it has been threaded through the various eyes its ends'are fastened together with the result that the members of the frame willall be tied together securely and, at the same time, the fabric will be held properly assembled with the frame.

Oar locks 35 can be suitably located on the gunnels so that the: boat,after being set up, can be propelled by oars. If preferred, however, an outboard motor can be mounted The seats used in the boat are preferably formed of light boards 36 having a spaced longitudinal cleat 37 in each. Each of these seat boards is adapted to rest on the top strips of one of the cross frames and the cleat 37 extends downwardly between said strips.

These seats can be easily detached by 'lifting them out of engagement with the top WVhen it is desired to collapse the boat the seats are lifted out of position, the ends of the rope 33 are disconnected and said rope is withdrawn from engagement with the hooks 32. The fabric covering 35 is then removed bodily from the frame and the cross'frames consisting of the strips 12 and 13 and'the "posts 14 are released from cleats 9 by removing the ropes 15. After these cross frames have'been removed the bottom side strips of the gunnels are detached from stem 11 and transom 27 and are separated where they enter the sleeves 25 and 21. The transom is lifted bodily from position, stem 11 is folded onto the central floor board and each of the three floor boards is then folded. With the parts thus separated and collapsed they can 7 be wrapped in the fabric 35 and form a compact bundle which can be handled easily.

The boat can be quickly set up by reversing the operation already described.

As an added means for reinforcing the boat including folda'ble'fioor boards, a stem hingedly connected to one of the floor boards, sectional gunnels and bottom side strips detachably connected to the stem, transverse frames -.detachably secured to the floor boards and interposed between and detachably connected to the gunnels, and a transom detachably connected to the gunnels, a fabric outer covering for said frame, hooks connected to the lower side strips, and a single 1 tie device threaded through the fabric covering and the hooks and extending within the frame for binding the coveringupon the frame.

2. A collapsible boat comprising a frame including. foldable floor boards, a stem hing edly connected to one of the floor boards,sectional gunnelsan'd bottom side strips detachably connected to the stem, transverse frames detachably secured to the floor boards and interposed between anddetachably connect ed to the gunnels, eachof said frames includ .ing spaced top. strips, a. seat detachably mounted on said strips,a depending cleat thereon extending between the strips, and a transom detachably connected to the gunnels, a fabric outer-covering for said frame, and

' means in theframe for holding the fabric taut upon the frame.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature. ALFRED- CANTZL'ER. 

